Caitlin Clark Broke Pete Maravich Record On One Of The Worst Calls Of All Time

As much as Iowa's Caitlin Clark flows in constant motion on the court, with or without the basketball, it just did not fit that she broke one of the greatest records in all of sports history standing still and all alone on the free throw line.

"I'm just glad I made the free throws," Clark said Sunday after breaking the NCAA Division I career scoring record held by LSU's Pistol Pete Maravich, who scored 3,667 points from the 1967-68 through 1969-70 seasons.

"That's like the hardest thing to do in basketball - make free throws with nobody at the free throw line," she said after the 93-83 win over No. 2 Ohio State in front of 14,998 at a sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.

Iowa's Caitlin Clark just before sinking the second of two technical free throws with 0.3 seconds to play in the first half Sunday that broke Pete Maravich's career scoring record of 3,667 points. (Getty Images).

Clark, a career 85 percent free throw shooter, always shoots technical free throws for No. 6 Iowa (26-4, 15-3 Big Ten). She tied and broke Maravich's record by making two technical free throws with 0.3 seconds to play in the first half for her 17th and 18th points of the game. That put the fourth-year senior point guard from Des Moines, Iowa, at 3,668 career points. She finished with 35 for the game and has 3,685 overall with a possible nine games to go - two in the Big Ten Tournament beginning Friday for Iowa and six in the NCAA Tournament beginning next week.

Iowa moved up to No. 3 in the Associated Press poll Monday behind No. 1 South Carolina (29-0) and No. 2 Stanford (26-4.) Ohio State (25-4) dropped to No. 4 after its 15-game winning streak snapped.

Technical Foul Against Ohio State Ridiculous

The technical foul whistled on Ohio State forward Cotie McMahon was one of the worst calls in basketball history - Biddy, Junior High, High School, College, WNBA, NBA. McMahon barely touched Clark. In fact, Clark brushed up against McMahon before McMahon's "contact" with about as much force. Then Clark leaned back with an Oscar-worthy, half-flop performance and got the T.

The replay below shows McMahon only slightly moving her left arm into Clark.

And out of nowhere, comes this technical.

"Oh, come on, that's not a technical," FOX play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson shouted with correct disdain. "That's a little nudge."

Clark's not even in the pros yet. That will come next season as she declared last week for the WNBA Draft on April 15.  But she already has the LeBron flop down.

But, hey, the other 33 points were legitimate. And one official hallucinating should not ruin an otherwise classic afternoon in college basketball for the ages.

Caitlin Clark Wanted A Logo 3 For The Record

Clark had tried moments before to break the record on her signature, Hawkeye logo 3-pointer, but it hit the rim and fell no good with 14 seconds to go in the first half.

"For immortality," Johnson yelled perfectly and on his game again as Clark launched. "No!"

Clark had dribbled down from the 39-second mark after getting the rebound to set up that missed 3-pointer. She was thinking cinematically. She's that kind of star who understands the moment.

"I don't really care," she said when asked about the logo three that could've been the record breaker. "It is what it is. It was cool to hear everybody just start screaming (after she made the free throws)."

Can't get too picky after one has broken a record that has stood for 54 years.

Pete Maravich's NCAA scoring mark fell 54 years after he set it, and in 130 games over four seasons by Caitlin Clark to 83 in three seasons by him. (Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark And Pete Maravich By The Numbers

Yes, Maravich set his in just three seasons and 83 games without the 3-pointer and averaged an NCAA career record 44.2 points per game that will probably never be broken. Clark broke the scoring mark in her fourth season and 130th game while averaging 28.3 points. LSU officials estimated Maravich would have averaged 57 points a game with the 3-pointer, and therefore would still have the record at 4,731.

But do not dismiss the significance of Clark's achievement. Over the last 54 college basketball seasons, including the last 37 with the 3-pointer in the NCAA, Clark was the first human to have a chance at such a monster scoring record in four seasons.

Also, it should be noted that Clark took far fewer shots to break the record. She has hit 1,207 of 2,593 attempts in her career for a .465 shooting percentage. Maravich hit 1,387 of 3,166 shots for a .438 shooting percentage. Clark is averaging 19.9 shots a game in her career. Maravich averaged an astronomical 38 shots a game.

"It's really like crazy to think about," Clark said of the Maravich record. "Like honestly, if you would've told me that before my college career started, I would've laughed in your face and been like, ‘No, you’re insane.' Just to be in the same room of all these players that have been so successful, whether it's Pete or Kelsey Plum or Lynette Woodard, all these people that have just given so much to the game."

Caitlin Clark launches a 3-pointer against Ohio State Sunday (Getty Images).

Plum held the NCAA women's scoring record of 3,397 points set from 2013-17 for Washington before Clark broke that this season. Clark later broke the pre-NCAA scoring record of 3,649 points set by Woodard at Kansas from 1977-81. Woodard was at the game Sunday.

"I'm so happy for Caitlin," Woodard said on FOX. "This is electrifying. It's just a great time for women's basketball."

Clark's girlhood idol, former Connecticut and WNBA star Maya Moore, also attended the game and spoke with Clark before tip-off. As a young girl and budding star, Clark met Moore and shook her hand.

"For her to be here surprised me and was pretty special," Clark said. "I felt like I was that young girl again. I wanted to be just like her. I thought I was going to UConn when I was growing up, but obviously that's not what happened. It's crazy how life can come full circle." 

Full circle, and around the back again.

"They used to call her Ponytail Pete (for Maravich) when she was a little kid, and now she has the record. It's ironic," Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said.

"These are the moments you dream of," Clark said. "It's kind of like you're living a little bit of a delusion."

But it all happened. And a delusional game official can't take it away.